


Beauty and The Believer

by TruestBeliever



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Abuse, Alternate Universe, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Mother-Son Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-13
Updated: 2018-04-22
Packaged: 2018-06-01 23:33:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 21,060
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6541276
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TruestBeliever/pseuds/TruestBeliever
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Henry is the product of Belle and Gaston. Back in the Enchanted Forest, Gaston took advantage of Belle on a stormy night. A few days later, Belle goes with Rumple and eventually finds out she’s pregnant. Things happen as normal until Belle is taken by Regina. Belle gives birth and Regina kidnaps the baby to call her own (Henry). The curse finally hits and things happen as normal once again. That is… until the curse is broken and Belle remembers she had a son.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> **CAUTION: Trigger warning! Throughout the story, there will be mentions of abuse and rape. This is not the point of the story and is mentioned to aid the story and explain certain things. There shouldn’t be anything too graphic. Warnings will be posted in the beginning of each chapter that will contain such acts.**
> 
> We apologize for this being a lot of information that you already know and have seen in the show. It is necessary to set up things for later chapters. Please read and enjoy!

The kingdom had been under attack for months. The ogres were quickly gaining ground upon the village and had even managed to break into the castle. Belle French and her mother Lady Colette had been attempting to save some of their precious books when the castle was attacked, leaving Colette dead and Belle with amnesia. It was Belle’s mission to find out what had happened to her in the last moments of her mother’s life, and she was determined to travel to faraway lands to get her memories back. Sir Maurice, Belle’s father, and Gaston, her fiancé, were completely against this idea.

“Where on earth have you been?” Gaston demanded as soon as Belle returned from her journey.

“I went to a place where I could retrieve my memories from the night my mother died,” Belle explained to him, attempting to not show any emotion.

“Why do you need to remember? It’s not important,” he said, rolling his eyes in disgust.

Belle took in a deep breath. Though her journey had been fruitful, she had failed in getting the memories she sought. “It is to me,” she responded in a whisper.

Gaston grabbed her wrist, just a little too tightly and forced her to look at him. “See that it isn’t anymore. You are not to leave this castle ever again. You understand me?” He gave her a cold stare until she finally nodded, defeated.

As soon as he let her go, Belle backed a few steps away from him. “I did find a way to defeat the ogres once and for all,” she said after clearing her throat from the tears. “I need to talk to my father.”

Gaston huffed and shook his head. Though he wasn’t one to listen to others commanding him, he turned on his heel to fetch Maurice. He did want the war to end just as much as everyone else in the village, but that was mostly because he wanted to finally marry into the throne.

“What is it, my girl?” Maurice asked as he entered the room. Belle turned away from the window she had been staring out of to look at her father. She immediately launched into what had happened to her while she was on her journey, the people she had met, and the one thing she had discovered that could finally help them. Maurice looked afraid. “Belle… do you realize what could happen if we talk to… him?”

“It doesn’t matter, father,” Belle said, resuming her brave demeanor. “We should be willing to pay any price he asks. We must protect our people.”

“But, Belle…”

“Mother wouldn’t have wanted all of these innocent people to die! We need to do it for her.”

That finally got Maurice to agree. “We will send him a promise of gold for his services.” Maurice sighed as he placed a hand on Belle’s shoulder. The two of them looked out the window as they noticed a rather large storm was brewing in the distance.

It didn’t take long for the letter to Rumplestiltskin to be written. Maurice had offered the imp a large sum of gold in exchange for protection over the land from the Ogres War. They hadn’t heard word back from the man and the Ogres were advancing too quickly for their soldiers to keep up with. They tried to keep things as normal as possible within the castle, but even Belle and Gaston’s engagement celebration was littered with talk of the ogres and of the Dark One’s absence.

“He could be on his way right now, papa!” Belle exclaimed as Maurice finally retired to his chair after a long conversation with one of the guards.

“It’s too late, my girl,” he responded, sounding more defeated than he ever had.

Suddenly, a knock on the wooden doors echoed throughout the room. “It has to be him,” Belle whispered, mostly to herself. As Maurice gave the orders to open the door, they noticed that there was no one there. Belle was confused. Who could have been knocking at the door?

“Well, that was a bit of a letdown.”

Everyone turned around to see none other than Rumplestiltskin sitting in the chair that Maurice had been occupying only moments before. Belle was overcome with a sense of wonder and a little bit of fear as she watched the Dark One walk about the room as he talked with her father. It surprised her, though, when he said that he didn’t want their gold… but her instead.

“I forbid it!” Gaston practically yelled as he shoved Belle behind him. She stumbled a few steps as he did so and she glared at him, even though he couldn’t see it.

“It’s her… or no deal.”

Gaston gripped Belle’s wrist as the Dark One began to walk away. She had to do something. She wasn’t going to just stand there and allow her people to continue dying. She also saw this as an opportunity to get away from the man that was currently pretending to protect her.

“No! Wait!” Belle called out finally. “I will go with him.”

It didn’t take long for the deal to finally be struck. Rumplestiltskin squealed with delight as he clapped his hands together and took Belle by the elbow to bring her to his estate. She took a deep breath and finally felt like she was doing something right. A huge weight was lifted off of her shoulders as she realized she was being led away from a fate far worse than what she was walking into.

***

Thunderstorms plagued the Dark Castle almost every night of Belle’s employment. It had been one of the main reasons she had cried so much during the first few weeks of her stay. During those first few weeks, though, she came to know the man who had taken her. Though she had been told to fear him, she was beginning to see a different side of him than the stories had told. She could see him as a man with flaws, rather than a monster to be feared. The first night she had served him, she had broken a teacup and, instead of killing her, he had stated that it was “just a cup” and left it at that. She was actually starting to like him and there were a few things she needed to tell him about.

First off, she needed to tell him about her fear of thunderstorms. Ever since she had been a small child, Belle was afraid of the thunder and lightning. She had grown to live with the fear and accept it, doing certain things to calm herself or just stay awake through it all as she read her favorite book. However, a few weeks prior to her arriving at the Dark Castle, there had been a rather large and dangerous storm that had caused her fears to escalate. Because of this, she spent almost every night of her employment curled up in a corner of her bed, hugging her knees to her chest, hoping for the storm to pass. Nothing soothed her anymore and she felt compelled to tell him about this.

“It’s no matter, dearie,” he said nonchalantly as he sat at his spinning wheel, spinning his straw into gold. “Should you ever find yourself unable to sleep at night, you may come and find me. I’m usually here.”

“Th-thank you,” Belle whispered as she wiped a tear away from her cheek. She hadn’t been shown such kindness from a man since her mother died. Though it didn’t seem like a huge deal, it was to her… and she felt her liking for him grow stronger.

Rumple looked at her and meant to show her a soft smile, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it when he saw the look in her eyes. She looked… scared? She hadn’t had that kind of look in her eyes since her first night with him when she had broken the teacup. He knew that she wasn’t afraid of him, no matter how hard he tried. “Is there something else, dearie?” he asked, a hint of concern laced in his words.

Belle swallowed as she nodded. A few tears sprang to her eyes as she looked down and fumbled with her hands. “I-I-I’m pregnant,” she said.

This caused a range of emotions to boil up inside of Rumple. Anger at the man who had done this to her, concern for her well-being, pity for her in general, and a feeling he didn’t think he was capable of… love. He shook his head slightly as he continued his spinning. “Well then, your work load shall be reduced. You no longer are required to climb up ladders and lift heavy things,” he told her. “But you must still perform all of your other duties as discussed until I say otherwise. Understand?”

Belle could only nod, grateful that he wasn’t going to cast her off for the information she had just given him.

***

Months went by and Belle began to show that she was growing a tiny person inside of her. During those months, Belle’s feelings for Rumple only grew… and his feelings for her grew with them, though neither of them ever acted upon those feelings. However, one fateful afternoon Belle had met someone along the road that explained to her that any curse could be broken… even one as powerful as the Dark One’s. Belle took it to heart and after she went back to the Dark Castle, she tried to break his curse with True Love’s Kiss. He wasn’t too fond of that, claimed that no one could ever love him, and he threw her back into the dungeon, though it killed him to do so.

After two weeks in the dungeon, Belle practically refusing to eat even though she knew it was bad for the baby, Rumple let her go. He claimed to not love her… or her unborn child… and he told her to go. She yelled at him, told him that he’d always have an empty heart, and then stormed out. She never wanted to see him again and she definitely didn’t want her baby to be around him.

Belle left the castle in a sour mood. She took one of the horses from the stables and she rode through the forest. Little did she know that there was someone waiting for her right past the gates of the Dark Castle. Belle didn’t even have time to scream for help before she was gagged and knocked out with some kind of purple smoke.

She woke up in a dungeon. It definitely wasn’t Rumple’s dungeon… so where was she? She placed her hand on her growing belly and felt the child within her kick. She breathed a sigh of relief. At least it hadn’t been harmed during whatever had happened to her. Belle kept her hand on her stomach as she stood up and tried to take in her surroundings. She had no idea where she was and she didn’t see anyone around to ask.

It took weeks—well, what felt like weeks, anyways—until Belle finally found out where they were. She was in the dungeons of none of than the Evil Queen, Regina. Every time the queen came into the dungeons, Belle could feel the baby squirming inside of her. It was clear that it didn’t like the feeling the queen brought… and Belle didn’t like it either. She could only hope that the queen wouldn’t notice the fact that Belle was pregnant, but it was fairly obvious now.

“Well, well, well… Look who’s about to pop,” Regina said in her sultry voice as she pressed her face into the bars of the cell Belle was currently occupying.

Belle just glared at her as she wrapped her arms around her stomach protectively. “What do you want with me?” she demanded.

Regina looked at her and raised an eyebrow. She hadn’t been expecting for the girl to actually talk to her. “I need you to be far away from the Dark One until I can figure out just exactly how to hurt him. Oh, and for your unborn child of course.”

“You’ll have to take it away from me from my cold, dead fingers,” Belle told her, gritting her teeth as she kept her arms wrapped around her belly.

“Well, that could be arranged.”

Regina just chuckled as she walked away, the laugh echoing through the stone hallways and sending a shiver down Belle’s back.

That’s what did it, though. As soon as the shiver coursed through her body, Belle felt a sharp pain in her stomach. She was going into labor and there was nothing she could do to stop it. Her baby was going to be born in a cell and there was no way she could care for it in here. Belle let out a loud scream as she sunk to her knees in pain, clutching her side. The scream echoed through the halls just as Regina’s laugh had and she came running back to the cell.

“Finally,” she breathed out, smiling her infamous evil smile.

***

Twenty-eight years later, Belle found herself sitting in a padded room, not knowing who she was or why she was there. She never saw anyone she knew, aside from the doctors that pumped her up with drugs and force-fed her a liquid diet every day. She didn’t have a name, didn’t have a family… but she did have intense dreams about what felt like a past life. They had felt almost like memories, but she didn’t dare tell anyone about them. She didn’t want to be forced to take more drugs than were already forced on her. Besides, she had taken to not talking at all due to the fact that every time she tried, no one would actually listen to her.

Belle lived for twenty-eight long years in silence until one day a man dressed as a doctor entered her room. She didn’t recognize him as one of her regular doctors, so she looked at him with a confused look.

“My name is Jefferson. I’m here to help you,” he said reaching out a hand to help her up from her bed. Hesitantly, Belle placed her hand in his and allowed him to help her. “You need to go find Mr. Gold. Tell him where you’ve been and that Regina locked you up.”

“Re… Regina?” Belle looked at him with a puzzled look. That name sounded familiar… but she wasn’t sure why.

“Yes. It’s very important that you tell Mr. Gold that Regina locked you up. Do you understand?” he asked, giving her an intense stare. Belle was immediately frightened by the question and the stare, again unsure of why, but she nodded nonetheless.

Jefferson led Belle through the streets of the strange town she now found herself in. As they wound their way through, Belle noticed a sign that read “Mr. Gold’s Pawn Shop.” Jefferson pointed to the front door of the shop and nodded his head. Belle entered the shop, though the sign in the window said that they were closed.

“Excuse me… are you Mr. Gold?” Belle asked the man whose back was facing her.

“Yes, I am but I’m afraid…” the man turned around to see who he was talking with. He froze and it confused Belle.

“I was told to find you…. And tell you that Regina locked me up.”

The man named Mr. Gold took a few steps towards her. She watched him with somewhat fearful eyes, but she also felt comfortable with him… like she knew him. Slowly and gently, he reached his hand out and grabbed her arm, squeezing it slightly. “You’re real? You’re alive?” he whispered.

Belle gave him another strange look. “I was told that you’d… protect me.”

He nodded. “Yes… Yes I’ll protect you,” he said before wrapping her up into a tight embrace.

Pulling back from the strange man, Belle looked him in the eyes. “Do I… know you?”

“No… but you will.”

And that she did. Belle followed him out of his pawn shop moments after their embrace. As she followed him, though, a large pulse traveled through the town and her memories came flooding back to her. She remembered who he was, she remembered who she was, and she remembered everything else about her life. After a somewhat tearful reunion with her love, Belle looked him in the eyes.

“Rumple,” she said softly, brushing some of his hair aside. “I had a son.” He looked at her and smiled softly, remembering the part of her pregnancy he had been present for. He then frowned as he gazed into her watery blue eyes. As Belle noticed his frown, a tear rolled down her cheek. “You don’t know who he is, do you?”

Rumple shook his head. “No darling,” he said, wiping the tear from her cheek. “But I won’t rest until we find him.” He nodded once and gave her another hug.


	2. Chapter 2

Days… weeks… months… all went by without any sort of trace of her son. Belle was distraught, to say the least. She did everything she could think of to find him—including using magic. Rumple helped her as much as he could… but he was trying to find his own son. At least Belle knew that her son had to be somewhere in Storybrooke, whereas Rumple’s son could be anywhere in the world.

The weeks went by slowly. Belle was in agony over being separated from her son for longer than she had to be. They had spent twenty-eight long years apart and she had no desire to wait any longer. However, Belle hadn’t even gotten a chance to name him before he was taken away by Regina. It destroyed Belle that she couldn’t be the child’s mother… but she would stop at nothing until she could be.

The only babies that ever came into the town clearly had mothers. They were born at the hospital and given straight to their mothers. No one took them away, no one lost them. The only person who had ever come into Storybrooke without a clear mother had been Henry… and it was clear that he had a mother now. That Emma Swan was his birth mother while Regina was his adoptive mother. Belle was happy that this one little boy had two mothers… while hers was out there somewhere without one.

After so many dead end searches, Belle was beginning to lose fire in her search. Rumple had found his son so easily it seemed and she was still there pricking her finger on Rumple’s magical globe until her started getting concerned for her.

“I’m happy for you Rumple, really,” Belle told him as she flipped through the town records for the umpteenth time. “I’m just upset that now Henry gets to have two mothers and a decent father… while my son is out there with nothing.”

Rumple placed a hand on her shoulder. “I know darling. We’ll find him,” he soother her.

Belle slammed the record book closed. “There’s no point. Nothing I do works. Every child here has a mother and a father…. Maybe… maybe Regina killed him.” A small tear ran down Belle’s cheek.

“I don’t think she would have done that.”

“How do you know?”

Rumple sighed. “She may be the evil queen… but she did actually have a soft spot for children,” he explained. “She tried to keep a little boy that wandered into town with his father, and then she adopted Henry.”

Belle sat down on one of the stool and placed her hands over her face as she sighed. “Then why can’t I seem to find him in this tiny town?”

***

It was the day before Regina’s birthday and Henry wanted to get her something special. There weren’t many shops in Storybrooke, except for clothing shops, and Henry was in no position to buy his mother any clothes. He had no idea what to look for, so he decided to go to the one place where he knew there could be something Regina would like—Mr. Gold’s Pawn Shop.

Unbeknownst to Henry, Rumple was out for the afternoon to complete one of his deals, so Belle was the one managing the shop. It wasn’t the first time she had been in charge of the shop, but she never really liked being alone in there. She much preferred working in her library, but all of that was put on the back burner due to some other things going on. Rumple had just gotten out of being imprisoned by the wicked witch and he still seemed a little bit out of sorts. Belle felt as though she needed to be there for him, since they were now engaged.

It was a slow day in the shop, much like any other day, so Belle was taking inventory. She always seemed to be taking inventory and never get to everything that was actually in the shop. Belle was going through some items towards the back of the shop when she heard the little bell above the door ring and a muffled call of “Grandpa?” coming from the front of the shop. “I’ll be right with you!” Belle called back, hoping that the newcomer could actually hear her.

There was only one person in the entire town that called anyone in this shop “grandpa” and that was Henry. Belle put on a friendly smile as she made her way to the front of the shop and grabbed a clean rag from under the counter to dust her hands off with. She didn’t really know Henry that well; she only knew the things that had happened over the last several years, but they had never been alone in the same room before. Belle gently placed the palm of her hand against her stomach as she felt a nervous feeling within it, and she willed the nerves to go away. She didn’t understand where this was coming from, but there was something tugging at the back of her mind that she couldn’t quite grasp.

“Hey grandma!” Henry said enthusiastically when he saw her behind the counter. He always liked to call people by their titles as soon as he knew his relationship to them.

Belle cringed. She was no grandmother. Though she hadn’t aged in thirty years, she still didn’t look older than thirty. Besides, she only had one child and there was no way he could have had a kid by now… right? Belle shook her head at the thought. She had almost given up all hope at finding her son… there was no room for thoughts of him to be entering her mind right now. Putting a small smile on her face, she chuckled. “Hey there Henry,” she responded. “How about you just call me Belle? I’m… not too fond of the title of grandmother at this point.” She flashed him a quick wink.

Henry smiled and nodded but didn’t respond. He turned his attention away from her and began to browse around the shop, hoping to find something that would catch his eye. A lot of the stuff in the shop was ancient and came from the Enchanted Forest, which is why he was confident that Regina would actually like something he picked.

After a few minutes, he came to a halt when a flashy, bronze necklace with a set of dark red rubies set in it caught his attention. He thought that it was the perfect accessory for his mother, even if she didn’t come to like it. He took the piece of jewelry carefully in his hand and he brought it up to the counter, where Belle sat reading one of her books. Henry knew who she was from his story book, so he knew how much she loved books. He smiled slightly as he placed the necklace on the counter in front of her.

Belle put her book down and she immediately put on a cheery smile. “This for a girlfriend?” she joked. Without waiting for an answer from the boy, she began to thumb through some of Rumple’s files for a certificate of authenticity to go with the necklace. She then placed that, along with the wrapped up necklace, into a velvet black box before handing it to Henry.

She watched as the boy placed the item into his backpack before zipping the bag back up and placing it back onto his shoulder. He looked back up at Belle and tilted his head slightly as he acknowledged her. “So, you’re the woman my grandpa’s in love with? You must be really something, then,” he said thoughtfully, knowing how hard it was for anyone to even get on his good side, let alone fall in love with him.

A small giggled escaped through Belle’s lips as she nodded. “We met… a long time ago,” she told him. “I was able to see past his darkness, unlike most people. But yes, I am the one he’s in love with. And I’m in love with him.” She couldn’t help it, but she blushed slightly and bit her lip to mostly hide her smile as she talked to the boy about her and Rumple. She looked down and brushed a curl from her face.

Henry smiled and nodded. He could understand why his grandfather would fall in love with her, she was rather beautiful. “Well, I believe we haven’t ever been properly introduced,” he said. Even though he knew that they knew each other, they had never had a proper meeting before. “I’m Henry, Henry Mills.” He extended his hand towards her as he turned his gaze to look directly into her eyes.

When Belle looked back up, she realized that Henry had just formally introduced himself. With a smile, she gently placed her hand in his and shook it. “Belle, Belle French,” she responded as she looked into the boys eyes. Belle’s eyes widened as she stared into eyes that were all too familiar to her. Over the last over thirty years, Belle thought that she would have been able to forget about those eyes… but the image of them were burned into her brain from the night he forced her into something that she really didn’t want. A gasp hitched in Belle’s throat as she stood frozen in her spot, her hand barely moving with the handshake that was supposed to be friendly.

As soon as their hands met, Henry felt… something—like she was familiar to him in some way. He couldn’t avert his eyes away from her own sharp blue ones, as a connection just seemed to flow between the two of them in that moment. Even her voice he realized that he felt as though he had heard it before. In fact, it felt comforting to him.

After a few moments of silence, the two of them simply staring at each other as their hands rested in a handshake position, Henry finally gave Belle’s hand a squeeze before he released it. Feeling the squeeze, Belle was brought back to reality and she tore her gaze away from his. She looked to the side for a moment, taking her hand from his and she gripped the edge of the counter top with both of her hands. She let out a breath and took in a few shaky ones. Those eyes… they had to have been her imagination. He was gone.

Henry opened his mouth as if to say something, but then he closed it again. What was he supposed to say? It took another few seconds of silence before Henry finally spoke. “Do I… know you from somewhere else?” he asked, though he immediately remembered that that would be impossible. He shook his head and simply offered her a smile before looking away. “Never mind. Well, I better be going now. It was nice seeing you!” he said in a cheerful tone, one that was normally heard from the boy. With that, he turned around and left the shop.

Belle hadn’t even had time to respond to him before he left, but she heard the question he had asked her. For some reason, she knew what he meant… it had felt as though she had known him in some other way than just the grandson of her fiancé. “It was… good to see you too,” Belle mumbled as Henry left.

It could have been hours later when Rumple finally reentered the shop. Belle had just been sitting on the stool behind the counter staring into… nothing… since Henry had left. She couldn’t get the image of those eyes out of her head. She never thought that she’d see those eyes again. She still thought that it had to have been her imagination playing tricks on her… but she had never had that feeling with anyone else before.

Gaston had given her nothing but terrible memories. The way he had treated her during their courtship and their engagement had been less than desirable. He was the reason for her intense fear of thunderstorms and the reason why she was always hesitant to allow people to touch her. He did, however, give her one good thing… and that had been her son. Though Belle still didn’t know who her son was and she had never gotten to be a real mother, she had had a wonderful pregnancy. If she could go back and do it all again, she would in a heartbeat. And she wouldn’t allow someone to take him away from her again.

When Belle felt a warm and gentle hand against her shoulder, she jumped and looked at the new person with a somewhat fearful look in her eye. “Darling, darling, it’s me,” Rumple said softly, placing his other hand against her shoulder until she fully comprehended who it was. Belle relaxed and looked into her fiancé’s eyes. She took a deep breath and nodded. “What’s the matter?”

“I think… I think I might have found him.”


	3. Chapter 3

_It was a casual night, a school night. It was about 10 o’clock and Henry was up later than usual. He had been sitting up in his bed, staring down at a framed picture of Emma and himself. The one he usually kept on his nightstand because he liked to pretend that his real mother was with him. He lived with Regina and though he loved her, he often missed Emma and wished he could spend more time with her. However, it was usually difficult to spend time with Emma, even though Regina was finally starting to get used to the idea. Henry just knew that it hurt her, and he hated hurting anyone, especially his mother._

_“Henry?” Regina spoke from the doorway. She noticed that he was still awake and it concerned her. “What are you still doing awake, young man?” she asked a little sternly. She entered his room and took a seat at the edge of his bed._

_He glanced up from the photo and looked at his mother, his back tensing slightly at her voice as the thought of punishment or a scolding made him nervous. He shoulders eased, though, when she sat at the edge of his mattress, since she clearly could tell that there was something on his mind. “I’m just… looking at this picture of me and mom,” he informed her, his eyes traveling back down to stare at it again._

_“Oh? Well, that’s not a very good reason. You have school tomorrow,” she said and then rose from the bed and scooped up the blanket for him to get under._

_“Why don’t I look like her?”_

_This question alone caught Regina completely off-guard. She paused for a few moments as she gathered her thoughts. She knew that she couldn’t just get out of this one as she noticed Henry was giving her one of his curious looks. Regina bit down on her lower lip and she slowly took the picture from his hands and placed it back on the nightstand where it belonged. After a few minutes of silence, she finally spoke. “Genetics don’t always have striking resemblances, you know.” She lifted the blanket up again and this time Henry willingly went under the covers._

_“But… I don’t have one single feature on me that’s similar to hers. Not one,” he argued, his tone sounding somewhat disappointed._

_Regina shook her head and leaned down to press her lips against his forehead. “You inherited greater things, Henry. A light heart is the most important one. Because of her, you haven’t a single evil in your body,” she reassured him and formed a warm smile just for her son. “Rest now, you’re going to need it. It’s late.” After she spoked, she made her way back towards the door, turning back to look at him once more. “Goodnight, sweetheart.” She smiled before exiting the room and closing the door behind her._

 

***

 

As Henry left the pawn shop after his handshake with Belle, he began to make his way back home and he released the trapped air that he didn’t realize he was holding. When he was in her presence just now, he felt something deeper with her than with just any other normal person. He had never truly spoken to her before then, and yet… when he looked at her, it was as though he had known her for a long time. Maybe he was just imagining things and his feelings towards his father’s passing before this just got to his emotions and made his mind play tricks on him. It had to be just that.

 

***

 

It didn’t take long for Belle and Rumple to put the motions into place. It had been the eyes that set her off. The eyes, the feeling she had when she looked into them, and the feeling she when they touched hands… it all added up to one thing: there was a distinct possibility that it was Henry that was her long lost son. At first it didn’t really make sense, but eventually the pieces started coming together.

 

After Belle had taken a few moments to catch her breath after her realization, she immediately began pacing in the back room of the pawn shop. Pacing was something she often did when she needed to think or if she was frustrated with something.

 

“Why do you think it’s him?” Rumple asked as he took a seat on the small bed he kept in the shop.

 

“His eyes,” Belle immediately responded, shivering at the thought of them. “They’re _his_ eyes. They’re Gaston’s eyes… I could never forget them.” Belle stopped pacing for a moment to take in a deep breath as she pushed the memory away. There were far more important things to discuss and she didn’t want that particular memory clouding her judgment. There was a much bigger mission at hand. “His hair is just like mine, too. And, from what I know about him, we have similar personalities.” Belle paused as she paced back and forth a few times in front of Rumple. “And Regina took my son away from me and now he’s her adopted son? That can’t just be a coincidence. And then when we shook hands there was just something there. I don’t know how to explain it, but he felt it too, Rumple!” She stopped pacing again as a few tears sprang to her eyes. She made her way over to him and she knelt on the floor beside him. “He felt it too,” she reiterated in a whisper.

 

Rumple nodded and he smiled softly at her. He gently lifted her up to bring her to sit next to him and he wrapped a comforting arm around her. He knew that it was difficult for her to talk about the man that had impregnated her. Belle rested her head against his shoulder and he placed a gentle kiss against the side of her head. “So what do you want to do next?” he asked after a few moments of silence.

 

Belle sighed and she shook her head and shrugged. “I don’t know. It’s not like we can just walk up to Regina and ask. She’ll just lie.”

 

Rumple chuckled softly. “That sounds about right. Perhaps we can use a bit of magic?”

 

She picked her head up from his shoulder and looked at him. “Like what?”

 

“I’m not sure. But I have faith that we can find something that’ll help us.”

 

That instilled Belle with more confidence than she ever thought possible. If Henry was truly her son, she was so close to finding out. There was just the matter of proving it that they would need to get through in order to find out the truth. However, Belle was unsure of what would happen if she was wrong or if there was no way to prove her theory. Deep down, though, she felt like this was the right thing to do.

 

She spent countless hours in the library researching books on magical and medical procedures to see what could possibly help them. She did find out that doctors could perform DNA tests, but she did not think that would go over well with Regina. No way would they be able to get Henry to the hospital for a blood test just to see if he was Belle’s son. No… this was something that would have to be done completely under the radar. The only people that could know about it were Belle and Rumple.

 

One afternoon, though, Belle came bursting into the home she shared with Rumple, holding a giant book in her arms. “Rumple!” she called as she entered. “Rumple! I found it!”

 

A cloud of purple smoke appeared in front of her as Rumple materialized. “What is it?” he asked. He had to admit, he was rather excited about the possibility. Not only could his love be united with her long lost son, but they could hurt Regina in the process.

 

Belle made her way to the kitchen and plopped the book on the table. She opened up to a page she had marked and pointed to a spell. “It’s like a magical DNA test. Just like they could do at the hospital, only you can do it.”

 

Rumple took a few minutes to read over the spell and he scratched the scruff on his neck as he thought. He nodded a few times and he looked at Belle with a smile. “I think I can do it.”

 

She practically squealed with delight as tears sprang to her eyes, only this time they were happy ones. “I’m gonna find you,” she whispered as she took another look at the book. She wiped the tears away with her fingertips and looked at Rumple, determination etched across her features. “What do you need?”

 

“Simple, really—a strand of hair from you both. The rest is all up to magic.”

 

Belle immediately pulled a strand of hair from her head, wincing at the quick second of pain, and she handed it to him. Rumple chuckled and nodded as he produced a small vial with a twirl of his hand. He placed Belle’s hair inside of it and then placed it next to the book. With another wave of his hand, both the book and the vial disappeared. “Now all we need is Henry’s. I’ll be able to get that soon. Tomorrow night, we’ll find the truth.”

 

By the next afternoon, Rumple had successfully attained a few strands of Henry’s hair without much notice from him. Belle arrived at the shop with an overwhelming sense of nerves and excitement. She wanted to know if Henry was her son, but she was also nervous for the “what if.” She was also nervous about what she would do next. What if he was her son? She wasn’t sure what she would do about Regina and getting him back into her custody if the test wound up being positive.

 

Belle took a deep breath as she made her way to the back of the shop where Rumple already had everything set up to do the test. Rumple smiled at her and gestured for her to join him. She stood on the opposite side of the table from him as she watched his nimble fingers do magic that she just did not understand.

 

“Are you ready?” he asked as he picked up the two vials containing brown strands of hair.

 

Belle took in another deep breath and she nodded. Rumple nodded his head once in acknowledgment and he placed the strands of hairs into place. Belle held her breath as she watched the magic happen. The two strands of hair glowed in a soft white light as they swirled around each other, looking almost as if they were in the shape of a DNA strand. After several moments of the strands spinning around each other, they glowed brighter for a split second before they fell into the shape of a circle back onto the table, the strands still twisted around each other. Belle bit her lip nervously as she looked from the table back up to Rumple.

 

“It’s… a match,” he said in a somewhat shocked, but also relieved tone.

 

At his words, Belle placed both of her hands against her mouth and she sank to her knees, tears flowing freely from her eyes. She had done it… she had finally found her son. She couldn’t believe it was Henry, but she didn’t care. Rumple knelt on the floor next to her and wrapped her in a hug, trying to calm her heavy sobs. It took a long time for Belle to be able to breath normally again, but once she could she told Rumple of her next move. The two of them had been separated for long enough. She didn’t care who Henry’s adoptive mother was… Belle was getting him back so she could be the mother she never got the chance to be.

 

The next day Belle found herself in a calm rage as she made her way to Regina’s mansion. Rumple had followed a few paces behind her to make sure she would be okay and so that if Regina were to hurt her in way, he’d be there to inflict some pain of his own. Belle pounded her fist against the front door of the mayor’s mansion until the woman opened the door. “He’s mine, isn’t he?” Belle demanded before Regina could begin their conversation with one of her many snarky comments.


	4. Chapter 4

Henry had been feeling a little out of it since he had had that personal meeting with Belle. He couldn’t help but continue thinking about it—to the point where it was keeping him awake at night. The way she looked at him with such surprise and that connection he felt between them both… he felt like he knew her somehow. He kept trying to thinking of just how that could be, but he couldn’t quite put his finger on it. There had to be some reason why she was so familiar to him. Even her voice… her voice was soothing to him, almost as if he remembered it as one that used to lull him to sleep. But… that was impossible, wasn’t it?

 

Even from his earliest memory, Henry could not even remember Belle being around. As much as he tried and as often as he felt he had gone into Mr. Gold’s Pawn Shop, he could not remember the woman. Yet, there was just something about her that made him feel comfortable, safe. Henry spent every spare moment he had thinking about why he felt that way… and why it seemed as though Belle had felt the connection there as well.

 

He had even been thinking about it while he was eating a rare lunch with his mother. It was the middle of the afternoon and the two of them were enjoying each other’s company over a bagel sandwich. It wasn’t often that Henry was able to spend this kind of time with his mother, since she was always dealing with problems in the town or her duties as mayor, and he was either in school or with Emma. However, Henry did enjoy these moments with his mother; he appreciated the little things she did for him.

 

“Henry?” Regina asked as she noticed him chewing rather slowly and staring at his plate as he seemed to be lost in thought. As she spoke his name, Henry snapped himself out of his thoughts and looked up at her. “What’s wrong, dear?” She tilted her head in curiosity and lowered her bagel.

 

“Nothing. I’m okay, mom,” he said, offering her reassuring smile.

 

She wasn’t convinced. She continued to stare at him for a few moments. “I don’t think you’re telling me the truth, young man.”

 

Henry simply stared at her and shrugged. He was glad that Regina didn’t have the same “super power” as Emma. Emma always knew when he was lying, but he could generally get away with it with Regina. He shook his head as he took another bite of his bagel. “I’m okay, honest.”

 

Regina gave him a skeptical look as she sat back in her chair, her interrogation over… for now. She sighed softly. “Let’s clean this up, then,” she said as she pushed her chair back. However, as she went to stand up, there was a loud banging on the door. Both of them turned to look in that direction for a moment before Henry turned back towards Regina and raised an eyebrow. “Stay here,” she demanded before finally standing up from the table.

 

Henry watched as she walked away, but as always his curiosity got the best of him, so he quietly followed behind her. He stayed hidden around the corner so he was out of sight, but just within earshot of the door. If it was something boring, he could easily slip back into the kitchen and Regina would never know he had been listening. However, if it was something interesting, he wanted to know.

 

“He’s mine, isn’t he?”

 

That was Belle’s voice. That voice that he hadn’t stopped thinking about since he had left the pawn shop just a few days prior. Her question confused him, though. Who could she have been talking about?

 

Regina’s eyes widened. She was puzzled and she didn’t know what to say. It took her a few moments, but she finally placed her hands on her hips. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. How dare you come to me with such nonsense!” she exclaimed, beginning to raise her voice, since that was all she seemed able to say in defense.

 

“You know _exactly_ what I am talking about,” Belle retorted. She sounded just as angry as she looked.

 

Belle’s anger had been fueled further by Regina’s attempt to make her look like a fool. She had more than enough proof to take Regina now about this situation, and she was prepared to do just that. She was going to prove that Henry was her son in one way or another and Belle was prepared to take Regina to court if she wasn’t going to cooperate. Belle waited for Regina’s confirmation or denial, both of which she had retorts for.

 

Truth be told, though, Regina was like a deer in the headlights. She had always sensed that this day would come, but never this soon. She had put together an elaborate scheme so that this would never actually happen. She had convinced Henry, Emma, and everyone else in the town that it was true: that he was the son of the savior. All of those years ago before the curse hit, she had taken Henry away from Belle shortly after birth. She had wanted a child after knowing she cursed herself from having any of her own. That was part of the reason she had locked Belle away, not just to spite Rumple and convince him she was dead, but so she could take the child quietly. It had all worked out so perfectly… until now.

 

\-----

 

_Henry was only just turning ten years old and his mother had just revealed to him that she was not his real mother but that she had adopted him. It was hard to understand at first and to accept, but he did. And truthfully, he always kind of knew deep down that something wasn’t right. Something about her was just… evil, and not a part of him. When one is so young, they can sense the evil and goodness in people—they know whether or not someone is a good or bad person. They just had the ability to know these things, kind of like dogs._

_Now, he wanted to know who his real mother was. He felt as though he couldn’t be at complete peace until he met her. He wanted to know where he came from and what she was like. Curiosity had struck him yet again. The only problem was… he had no idea just how to figure that out. He may have been smart for his age, the smartest in his class in fact, but, he was still just a kid. He did, however, have the idea to look in his mother’s office. He waited outside of her building until she stepped out of her office, and he quickly snuck in. He began to look through the papers on her desk for some type of information about who is real mother was and where he could find her._

_He didn’t have much time before she came back in, so he scanned through them and was discouraged when he didn’t find anything. He then glanced to the side, her cabinet coming into his sight. His expression lit up, hope coming back to the little one. He went over to the cabinet and went through the drawers of papers. He examined all the documents carefully until he finally came across one with the title of “Birth Mother.” Henry paused, inhaling a deep breath before removing the file, and looking into it. All of the information was there. Her name was Emma Swan, she lived in Boston, and so she wasn’t too far. Henry took the paper with the information out of the document, and placed the folder back in the cabinet before shutting it again._

_The little boy slowly turned his head towards the door to see if there was any sign of his mother, and thankfully, there wasn’t. He began to make his way out of her office and walked out of the door, determined to make his way home without being spotted. Meanwhile, Regina was standing there behind the door of her office where she wasn’t detected by Henry. She was there the entire time and he had no idea. She watched him as he hurried away, and a deviant smirk crawled across her lips. The plan had worked._

\---Present---

 

As Henry stood hidden in the shadows, he heard the conversation between his mother and Belle. From the sound of both of their voices, he gathered that they were talking about him. It all started to make sense now… from that moment in the shop until now. In fact, hearing Belle’s voice and turning the corner slightly so he got a glimpse of her brought back those feelings just as they were on that day. He felt attached to her… but a part of him didn’t want to believe it. He loved Emma and had been through so much with her. It was a lie… it had to be. Emma was his mother.

 

“Mom…” Henry stated quietly as he came out of the shadows.

 

Regina gasped and turned around to face her son. She felt defeated, cornered, and she could tell just from looking at him that he was conflicted with what he had just heard. Regina wanted to lunge at Belle, to strangle her for what she had just done. “Henry…” she began, reaching out for his face.

 

He flinched away from her and her hand fell back to her side, tears slowly forming in her eyes. “Is it true?” he asked, looking at her expectantly. He wanted her to say no… that all of this was just a misunderstanding and life was exactly the way it was supposed to be right now.

 

Regina hesitated. She did not want to admit any of this, because now so many things would become complicated and even more problems would arise. She would not only have to answer to Belle and Henry, but to Emma and the Charmings as well. But worst of all? Belle could take Henry away from her. She had gone through all of the trouble she did just so that she could have that boy in the first place. She wished that she could have just denied everything and made Belle look like a fool. But… she couldn’t bring herself to lie to Henry.

 

She sighed softly and began to shake her head slowly. She clenched her fist to control her emotions. “Yes, sweetheart… It’s true,” she finally said. She hung her head momentarily before facing Belle with eyes that seemed to glare like daggers. “You’re going to pay for this,” she threatened in a cold and firm tone.

 

Belle let out a sigh of relief as soon as Regina finally confirmed everything. Love for Henry and hatred for Regina both bubbled up inside of her and that’s when her waterworks began. There were just so many emotions building up inside of her that she had no other way than to release them through her tears. As if the DNA test hadn’t been proof enough, the fact that Regina actually confirmed that Henry was indeed Belle’s son made Belle happier than she could ever imagine. After being separated for so long, she could finally be the mother she had always wanted to be.

 

Belle didn’t even care that Regina threatened her. She could deal with that later. Her main concern was on Henry and his reaction to the news… and from the looks of it, it wasn’t good.

 

Henry slowly backed away from his mother, shaking his head. No. This couldn’t be real. “Liar! You’re all LIARS!” Henry shouted at both of them, his dark eyes displaying despair and anger. “All my life I’ve been told lies! All of you walk around like you have something to be proud of, but you’re all just cheats and liars!” he continued, even though he knew deep down that what he was saying was cruel. He didn’t mean most of it, but right now he felt betrayed more than ever. He didn’t understand the purpose of anything in his life anymore. He stood there as his heart completely shattered.

 

“Henry, please, please listen to me…” Regina started, sounding heartbroken. She tried reaching her hand out towards Henry again but he shoved her away.

 

“Tell me, _mom_ , has there ever been a time in your life when you’ve told the truth?” he asked, giving her a cold stare. After a few moments, he stepped past Belle—avoiding her gaze all together—and went outside. He began to run down the street, not really sure where he was going, but he definitely couldn’t be around them anymore. As he ran, he allowed the tears he had been holding back to run with him.

 

Gazing upon Henry just moments before, Belle could finally see him as her son and she had instantly been filled with a love for him that she never thought possible. There were so many things Belle wanted to say to him before he left, but nothing had been able to form past her lips. Her heart broke for the boy, but it raged at Regina. Belle had always prided herself in seeing the best in people, but she could _not_ see the best in Regina.

 

Belle watched as Henry ran down the street. She could just barely make out Rumple calling after him, asking what was going on, but she didn’t hear a response from Henry. She turned on her heel to face the woman who had caused all of this pain. “You,” Belle said through clenched teeth, pointing an accusing finger at the woman, to which Regina swatted away. “You’re the one that caused all of this! I don’t care that you hurt me… but you hurt _him!”_ She gestured her hand towards the open door that Henry had run out of. “That is _my_ son that you’ve hurt… that you’ve lied to for his entire life. Not only that… but you lied to countless others.” Belle’s face was beginning to turn red at this point as she stepped closer and closer to Regina, ready to pounce on her at any moment. “Don’t think for one _second_ that I won’t try to take him back. I am his _mother_ and nothing you do or say is going to change that.” With one last glare, Belle raised her hand and slapped Regina hard across the cheek. The impact stung Belle’s hand slightly, but she didn’t care. This woman deserved it and it made Belle just a tiny bit better.

 

Regina’s upper lip twitched as she listened to Belle, but before she could even respond, she felt the blow to her face. It stunned her and there was a loud silence that filled the room. “You’re going to regret that,” she said coldly before forming a fireball in her hand.

 

However, right before Regina could toss the fireball, a large pillar of purple smoke appeared between the two women and Rumple was standing there, facing Belle. “Enough,” he stated in a calm voice.

 

Regina stared at his back. “Rumplestiltskin, do control your wife. Otherwise I will not be so easy one her next time.” Regina’s gaze turned back to Belle. “Do not try to get involved in our lives. Henry is _my_ son, not yours. Do not think I will allow you to take him from me. Remember who you’re dealing with, fools.”

 

Rumple simple rolled his eyes at the queen’s words before magically transporting himself and Belle back to their home.

 

As soon as they were safely in their home, Belle began pacing. “That insufferable woman! How _dare_ she take my child away from me?! How _dare_ she lie to him for his entire life?” Belle yelled, still clearly in a rage over the situation. She stopped pacing for a moment to look at Rumple. “I want him back,” she said matter-of-factly, wagging a finger in Rumple’s direction. “I want him out of that woman’s house. I want him to be my son. He belongs here. With me.”

 

“Darling,” Rumple said in a smooth voice, he grabbed her shoulder once again and sat her down on the couch. “Think about the boy. Think about what will be best for him.” He sat down next to her and he started to stroke her hair soothingly, trying to calm her down. He knew how much this meant to her, but he didn’t want her making rash decisions. Rumple wanted them together more than anyone (aside from Belle), but he still wanted to make sure Henry was okay with it. Though now the boy wasn’t even his family as he thought he was, Rumple still cared a great deal for Henry. He had spent the last few years getting to know him as his grandson… Rumple couldn’t just forget about that.

 

Belle took in a deep but shaky breath as she nodded her agreement. “I want what’s best for him. Always.”

 

A few hours later Belle had finally calmed down enough to think clearly. Everything was still Regina’s fault and Belle would probably always hate her for what she did to her and her son, but that wasn’t going to stop her from loving Henry. Without really knowing much about the boy he had grown up to be, Belle already loved him. She loved him just as much now as she had when she was pregnant with him. She desperately wanted to make up for the last several years that they hadn’t been able to spend together. She wanted to show him the mother that he was _supposed_ to have growing up.

 

“I want to get to know him,” Belle finally decided.

 

“Then why don’t you go find him?” Rumple suggested.


	5. Chapter 5

After a few minutes of crying and running, Henry’s legs began to get tired and he began to slow down. The boy was now in the middle of town and he continued to walk down the sidewalk, wiping away his tears with his sleeve. Almost everyone in this town knew him in some way; whether it was as the mayor’s son, the savior’s son, or the little boy with the smile and the book. He was known, and he did not want to be approached by anyone and asked why he was in tears.

He was now about to enter Granny’s Diner and he knew that Ruby would want to know what was bothering him if she noticed that he was upset. As he stood in front of the diner’s door, he took in a deep breath to try and calm himself. Finally, he grabbed the handle and opened the door. Henry always needed a hot cocoa with cinnamon when he had to think, or if he was stressed out about something. He walked up to the counter and Ruby greeting him with a bright smile.

“Hey Henry!” she said cheerily as she leaned over the counter. “What will you have?”

“Hot cocoa with cinnamon to go, please.”

Ruby smiled and nodded as she rang it up in the register. “No problem!”

Henry reached into his pocket and grabbed a few dollars, avoiding the gaze of Ruby as much as possible. He was trying his hardest to not think of the situation he was currently facing so that he would not tear up once again. It was hard not to start crying again, since whenever the slightest hint of those thoughts came to his mind, he could feel his eyes burning, just threatening to water up. He turned around as he waited and he glanced at the booth that he and Emma used to frequent back in the Operation Cobra days. Ah yes, those were much simpler times. It saddened him, knowing that it was never going to be like that again.

After a few minutes, Ruby came back to the counter with Henry’s hot cocoa. “There you go, Henry!”

“Thanks,” Henry said with a straight face as he placed his money on the counter. He didn’t bother waiting for change. He felt just a hint of guilt as he left without asking either Ruby or Granny how they were, but he couldn’t pretend to be happy right now. He needed to go somewhere where he could be alone and think.

That place for him was usually the park. He took a quick sip of his hot cocoa as he made his way towards the only park in Storybrooke. When he reached the deserted place, he made his way over to the swings and sat down on one.

 

\--Meanwhile--

 

“Do you think he’d actually want to see me?” Belle asked after Rumple suggested she go find Henry. She felt nervous, even though she knew that she shouldn’t be.

“Of course he does. You’re his mother.”

That made her smile slightly and made her much more eager to go find him. His mother. “Where did he go?” she asked, raising her eyebrow.

Rumple looked out the window for a brief moment. He wasn’t completely sure, but he had an idea. “I believe he was headed towards the park when he ran out of the mayor’s house.”

Belle nodded and she jumped up from the couch. She grabbed a light sweater from the coat hook by the door and headed out, not really knowing what she would do or say once she was face to face with her son. She wanted to sprint to the park, but she took her steps slowly. She wanted to figure out what she would do once she arrived. Belle had thought that this moment would never come for her, so she never allowed herself to imagine what could happen once it did. It hurt her too much to think about the possibilities, so she never did. However, now it was a reality and she was going into the situation blind.

It took Belle longer than normal to reach the park. As she stood on the street in front of it, she could see Henry sitting on a swing, his back facing her. Once again, Belle’s heart swelled with love for him, but she also felt a sadness wash over her. He was fourteen or fifteen years old at this point… and they were finally meeting for the first time as mother and son. Belle took in a deep breath as she began walking towards the swings. As soon as she was standing next to him, she grabbed onto the chains of the swing to his right.

“Mind if I join you?” she asked quietly, looking down at him.

Henry hadn’t even noticed Belle approaching him until her voice broke him out of his daze. He glanced up at her. His heart felt like it was dropped, like his reality came crashing down on him once again. He hated it. He hated it because he could feel that connection with her again, the same way he did in the shop and there was no way of denying it. She was definitely his mother.

“Uh, yeah. Go ahead,” he said, also speaking quietly. He wasn’t as upset anymore, but it was awkward to face her after everything.

There was a silence. The two of them figuring out what to say, how to react, and trying to get used to the fact that they were mother and son and in each other’s presence. There were so many things that Belle had wanted to say to her child when she saw him again… but now that she was face to face with him, she was at a loss for words. There were already tears threatening to spill from her eyes even in the silence.

Henry took a sip from his cup and Belle watched him from the corner of her eye. It was obviously something hot, and from the moment the liquid touched his lips, Belle could tell that it was hot chocolate… with cinnamon. Belle blinked a few times. That particular combination was not very common… and even though Emma and Snow both shared that trait, so did Belle. It had been something Belle craved almost every day of her pregnancy and had made it for herself instead of tea. The smell of tea had actually been repulsive to her while she was pregnant, even though she loved it otherwise. Smelling the hot cocoa with cinnamon brought back memories from her time in the Enchanted Forest and she wondered if Henry got the liking for it since she had had it so much while she was pregnant with him. A small smile formed across her lips and she looked away from him and out in the distance. She actually hadn’t had any hot cocoa with cinnamon since she had been pregnant with him, so she also wondered if it would still taste as good now as it did then. She made a mental note to try it again later.

“So, you’re my mom,” he said as a statement more than a question, breaking the silence. It was after saying those words that Henry realized they were the same ones he said to Neal when he spoke to him for the first time as his father, or so he thought him to be.

As soon as he spoke, Belle listened. She simply nodded her head in response, even though he hadn’t asked her a question. “I am,” she responded. She was silent again for a moment as she made the swing move, the chains creaking as they moved with her. She swallowed hard as she turned to face him again. “I just want you to know, Henry… that I never wanted to give you away. I wanted to be your mother more than anything in the world.” A few tears glistened in Belle’s eyes as she spoke to him. She wanted him to know that she loved him, even though she barely knew him, yet she also didn’t want to scare him away. “I hate that you were denied the mother you were supposed to have,” she added quietly. Once again, she turned her gaze away from him and back into the distance so she could wipe the moisture from her eyes. “If… if you want to know anything… just ask me, okay? I’ll tell you anything and everything you want to know… and I promise you, I’ll never lie to you.”

Tears swelled Henry’s reddened cheeks. Though he didn’t have much emotion at all right now in this very moment, he was confused. He wasn’t sure he had any questions. Not for her, anyway. Mostly for Regina and Emma. Did Emma know all this time? Did she know at all? Did she ever give birth at all, or was that just a false memory? Was the man he met and had known to be his father even his father at all? Was that also a lie? And finally… was this all a dream?

But it wasn’t. It couldn’t be… because this pain could not be fake. This kind of ache that his heart had was too real to be a dream. Suddenly, he threw his half-full cup towards the ground out of frustration. As he did, the cover flew off and the remaining liquid drained out. “I can’t trust anyone anymore,” he said softly, almost in a whisper. “Everything I had ever known to be true… was proven to be a lie, twice.”

Belle just watched as Henry threw his hot chocolate to the ground in frustration. She swallowed thickly as she heard his statement about not being able to trust anyone again. She completely understood what he was saying and she nodded her head. “I know it’ll be hard,” she said softly. “I know you’ve been lied to. Your m—Regina—likes to lie to people.” Belle sighed. She did not want to seem like she was bad mouthing Regina, no matter how upset she was with the woman, she did not want to give Henry any reasons to not like her. “She told Rumple that I had died so he wouldn’t come looking for me, but kept me locked up so she could kill me when it would hurt him the most. I-I don’t think she wanted to hurt you Henry.”

“It hurts…” he began to whimper now, burying his face in both of his hands. He wasn’t sure what else to say. They were both hurt. He had always wanted a loving mother and she had always wanted to be a mother. Those opportunities were taken away from both of them and it was painful. “I needed you a long time ago,” he stated blankly.

As soon as he began to whimper and open up a little bit, Belle couldn’t help but let her overwhelming motherly instincts take over. She immediately reached over to him and she placed a comforting hand on his shoulder and she squeezed it gently. “I know it hurts,” she responded, a sob catching in her throat. She understood all too well that it hurt. At his next words though, tears actually started falling from her eyes. The fact that she was right there for his entire life but Regina kept them from each other made Belle feel horrible. Though it hadn’t been her fault for it, she wished more than anything that she could have been there for him. “I wanted to be, Henry,” she whispered as she stared at him. “But I’m here for you now… and nothing is ever going to keep me away now.” Belle sniffled through her tears. “I’ve loved you ever since I discovered I was pregnant with you and I never stopped. I… I can only hope that you can find it within yourself to believe me and to accept me as your mother one day. I would love to be the mother you were meant to have… but you’re old enough to make your own decisions. I’ll only… only be in your life as much as you want me to be.” Belle finished her sentence with her lip trembling, a sob threatening to break past her lips.

Henry flinched slightly at Belle’s touch, but relaxed quickly. He wiped a few tears from his cheeks before placing his hand over hers. He shut his eyes tightly as if to shut out the world and everything in it for just a brief moment. He inhaled a soft breath as she spoke. “I know you wanted to be here, Belle,” he spoke truthfully. He could feel the love and emotion for him that she held in her heart by just her touch, which he could only guess that it was something that came with their mother-son connection.

It was silent again for a moment. Despite what had happened today, Henry wasn’t sure if he wanted to actually leave Regina for Belle or not. Yes, Regina had lied to him about a huge thing, but she was still his mother in her own way too. He also couldn’t deny the bond they had formed over the years, though he knew it would be hard to look at her the same way again… or even talk to her with a smile.

Henry sighed to break the silence before speaking. “As much as I appreciate having been reunited with you, I-... I’m not sure I can start living with you. I know mo—Regina has done a terrible thing, but she needs me. I don’t think I’m ready to leave her. And to be honest, all this… It’s just hard to process right now. I’ll need some time,” he admitted, and hoped he did not hurt her any more than he already was with those words. “I just need to think about what I want at this point.” He turned to glance at her, his brown orbs staring back into her blue ones. “If I can’t handle staying with her, then I may come with you.”

Belle could only nod for a few moments as he spoke. She wanted to burst out sobbing, even though she knew she shouldn’t. She was able to hold it together quite easily, even though a few tears did spill out. This was definitely an emotional time for the both of them, and she was sure she would break down the second she arrived home. “I understand,” she finally said in a quiet voice. “I just want what’s best for you, Henry. I-I don’t know you that well yet, so only you know what’s best.” She stopped and sighed softly before swallowing her tears once again. “I can’t speak for Regina, but I would allow you to choose your own path at this point.” Of course Belle would have loved for Henry to come and live with her so they could be the family she had always dreamt of having, but alas… it would be Henry’s choice now.

“Just… just promise me something,” she added after a few moments of silence. “Even if you never choose to come and live with me… promise me we can at least spend time together… as mother and son.” She added the last part a bit more quietly. It would be a little bit strange to refer to him as her son now after thinking of him as her step-grandchild for so long. However, this was a compromise Belle was willing to make… at least for now. She wanted more than anything to get to know the man her son had become in her absence and the two of them could bond over their shared interested. She could tell him about the life she had planned and perhaps the two of them could imagine what life would have been like for them in the Enchanted Forest. The possibility of getting to know her son like this made Belle feel just a little bit better.

“That, I can promise you. I am willing to see how it goes, and to form a bond with you,” he nodded, a smile tugging at the edge of his lips now. “Maybe we’ll make up our own operation when the time comes!” He tried to sound as enthusiastic as the situation would allow.

That tiny bit of happiness that Belle had felt in that moment ended as she looked at him and stared directly into those eyes. Just like she had on their first formal introduction, Belle’s breath hitched in her throat and she needed to look away for just a moment. She didn’t want it to last too long because she didn’t want Henry to think anything was wrong. When she looked back at him, she avoided his eyes but still looked upon his face. He really did have some of her features and it made the eyes slightly easier to look at. “You make that choice, Henry,” she said with a small smile as she stood up from the swing. She then reached down to pick up her bag and she set it on the swing before she dug into it to find a piece of paper and a pen—two items she kept on her at all times.

She quickly scribbled something on the paper, folded it in half, and then handed it to him. “Until you make your choice, here’s my phone number. My cell, the library, Rumple’s shop, and even our home are on there. Use it. I want more than anything to get to know my baby boy.” She smiled softly again as she looked at him, standing right in front of him. “Maybe we can go to Granny’s and talk. But for now, I’ll leave you to your thoughts.” And before she could stop herself, she had bent down and placed a quick and gentle kiss to the top of his head. A different kind of connection was felt through her bones as she did it, but she also thought that perhaps this move was a mistake. So, she quickly backed away and started her walk back home.


	6. Chapter 6

Henry was standing outside of the queen’s home, trying to unlock the door as quietly as he could manage, so as not to draw any attention to himself. Once he heard the click, he took hold of the door handle and twisted the knob, slowly opening it and entering as he tried not to make a sound. Unfortunately, as soon as he turned around, there stood Regina, watching him with what he thought was an expression of guilt and worry. Henry just stared back at her, shaking his head in disappointment as he began to walk towards the spiral staircase.

 

“Henry Daniel Mills! Do not look at me like that!” Regina spoke from where she stood. Henry proceeded to walk up the stairs. Regina began to walk towards the staircase. “Stop!” she called after him. She sounded desperate enough to make Henry freeze in place. He turned his head slightly to glance at her.

 

She looked at him, seemingly trying to come up with the right words to say, because there was only silence. Just as she was about to speak, Henry broke the silence. “I keep trying to defend you, put my faith in the idea of you being a hero. I try to convince everyone that you’ve changed and that’s what you are, but…” he stopped for a moment, squeezing the railing tightly with his hand. “You are making it so hard. And now, I’m… I’m not even sure if I believe it.”

 

With that, he turned his head away and kept his gaze hard on the floor. He didn’t even have to see her expression to know that his words just stabbed her like a thousand daggers to the heart. “I’m sorry, Henry,” she said through soft whimpers, reaching her hand out to touch his, to which he only quickly swiped away from her reach. He already prepared himself for this. “But you can’t leave me. Please, you’re the most precious thing to me in this entire world. You’re all I live for.” She sunk down on the first step, sitting down as she continued to stare up at him, hoping to catch his gaze.

 

The boy scoffed, removing his hand from the railing and turning so that he could face Regina directly. “That’s not true. You have Robin now, the man that was important enough for you to ignore me for a month. Don’t try to manipulate me, mom… we both know I’m not the only ‘precious’ thing in your life now. You’ll live,” he said bluntly before making his way up the stairs again.

 

“She’ll never be able to truly love you!” she shouted out now in an almost informal tone.

 

Henry stopped once again, but he did not bother to look back. “What do you mean?” he asked, almost regretfully.

 

Regina stood up from where she sat, both hands at her sides and stared up at him with the same face she used to make when she had some sort of devious intention. “Do you know why Belle has not yet mentioned your real father? Or why he’s not even in this town with her for that matter?” she began, beginning to take a few steps as her gaze did not leave her son. “Or why you really don’t have magic?” She said that last sentence a little louder than the previous ones. “It’s because you were not born out of what the Charmings had when they conceived Emma. They hold true love, there’s no doubt about that. As for Belle? She was what one would call taken, to put it more lightly. Your father forced himself on her, Henry. There was no consent in having you. She did not love him and he did not love her. He used her for selfish reasons and she took it all like some lifeless doll,” she explained harshly, her eyes were glaring at him, but soon softened. She didn’t realize how much that was going to hurt him.

 

All that could be heard from the boy was tiny sobs, his shoulders were shaking and his head hung so carelessly. It was as if the lively spirit within Henry had been gone. Despite this, Regina added one last comment to ensure that he would stay with her. “To your dear mother, you would be just another reminder of your father, of the pain he inflicted upon her. That’s why you can’t stay with her.” As she was speaking, she made her way up the stairs swiftly behind him, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder after all she had just said. As much as it destroyed her to see the boy she had raised as her son like this, she couldn’t allow Belle to have him. Even if it meant he had to get hurt emotionally.

 

“Y-you’re lying! This is another lie!” Henry managed to mutter through muffled sobs, flinching away from her touch.

 

“Oh, Henry… this time I’m not. You actually hold a great resemblance to him. I’m sure she can’t even look into your eyes properly.”

 

Hearing this, he was immediately reminded of both moments he had caught Belle looking away as soon as her gaze met with his own brown hues. And it was then, that it all made sense. This time, Regina was right.

 

Henry couldn’t take hearing anymore of what Regina had to say. Without another word from either of them, he ran into his room and slammed the door. At least Regina didn’t try to follow him this time. After he was in his room, he stared blankly at the wall, tears falling from his cheeks and dripping onto the slightly crumpled paper from Belle. He was so lost, he wasn’t sure what he was supposed to do at this point. And now, he wasn’t even sure who he was.

 

His gaze moved towards his reflection in the mirror that hung on his wall and he stared into it for a solid minute, holding no readable expression. Henry reached into his pocket for his cell phone and he began typing a message to Belle.

 

“My father was a monster, and so am I.”

 

\--Meanwhile--

 

“Are you… going to tell Henry about, umm, his father?” Rumple asked cautiously. He knew that Belle didn’t like talking about him and that sometimes it would set off a series of sleepless nights filled with nightmares of the bastard.

 

Belle sighed and shrugged. “Maybe eventually,” she admitted. “I don’t think that’s something I would dump on him right now. He’s already been through so much… I don’t need to give him that burden.”

 

Rumple nodded in understanding. “He has…”

 

“His eyes. I know.” Belle shuddered at the thought. “It’s difficult for me to look my own son in the eye because of _him_. I don’t want Henry to think he’s done something wrong because I can’t yet face those eyes.”

 

“Henry isn’t G-him,” Rumple said, avoiding the man’s name. “Henry doesn’t have an evil bone in his body… he is you through and through. I always wondered why he wasn’t more like Baelfire, but now… now I understand why.” A bit of a sad look crossed Rumple’s features and Belle placed a comforting hand on Rumple’s arm.

 

Before Belle was able to give any more of a response to Rumple, her phone made a beeping noise. She perked up slightly, feeling a bit of excitement course through her at the thought of Henry texting her. She picked up her phone and her face fell, the excitement leaving just as quickly as it had come. Belle dropped the phone onto her lap as she just stared at the words scrolling across the screen. “She told him,” Belle whispered.

 

Rumple gave her a confused look and she simply showed him the phone. Rumple stood up and looked away from her, trying to hide his anger. He didn’t want Henry hurt anymore either and he was on the verge of transporting himself over to the queen’s house to give him a piece of his mind. That was not the story for Regina to tell.

 

Taking in a shaky breath, Belle picked up her phone again and dialed Henry’s number. This was definitely not something that could be done with a text. As soon as Henry answered the phone, tears came to Belle’s eyes, though she tried to hide it in her voice. “Henry… you are not a monster,” she started. “I’m… I’m assuming Regina told you what happened a long time ago. But Henry, listen to me, you are not him. You are no monster. Please… please let me tell you what really happened. I promised you I would never lie to you and I will stick to that promise. Just… come by the house and I’ll tell you everything.”

 

“Okay,” Henry answered half-heartedly. “I’ll be there soon.”

 

Belle hadn’t even gotten the chance to answer before she heard the call end. Almost immediately, Belle began pacing. Pacing was always something she had done when she was feeling stressed or needed to work out some things in her mind.

 

“I can’t believe she told him,” Belle muttered under her breath as she paced. “What was the supposed to accomplish? Is she just trying to hurt him more? As if finding out that he had been lied to for the last several years about who is mother _really_ was wasn’t enough… she had to go and add this in. I would have told him about it. Eventually. It still hurts me, but I would have told him the truth. Henry deserves to know who he is, yes, but not this soon. It would hurt far too much. I can’t believe her….”

 

Rumple stayed completely silent throughout Belle’s rant. If he was honest with himself, which he generally was, he was feeling the same way. He hated that Henry had been hurt so much in his short life. First he had felt as though the queen didn’t love him, which was probably true to an extent. Then he had to go through all of that trouble with Emma Swan, only to discover that she wasn’t even his real mother; and now there was this. Rumple still cared a great deal for the boy, and he had to admit he would care for him even more now that he knew he was Belle’s son. He had already committed to thinking of himself as the father figure in the child’s life when Belle was pregnant, and he was determined to do it now, in honor of Baelfire.

 

Belle had stopped pacing for a moment to turn to look at Rumple. “What if he wants nothing to do with me after this?” she asked, a few tears rolling down her cheeks as she thought of the worst possible scenario to this situation.

 

Rumple shook his head. “I don’t think that will happen,” he said matter-of-factly.

 

“How do you know?” she asked. Rumple patted the cushion next to him on the couch. Though Belle still felt the need to pace, she took that moment to catch her breath and sit next to him.

 

“Have you ever given up on anything that was forth fighting for?” Belle shook her head. “So neither will he.”

 

As soon as Rumple was done speaking, there was a knock at the door. A slightly nervous look crossed Belle’s features and Rumple stood up, gesturing for her to stay put. Belle settled into the couch as Rumple made his way to the front door.

 

“Hello there, Henry,” Rumple’s smooth voice came from the foyer. Belle took in a deep breath as she braced herself for the hardest conversation she would ever have. “Your… err… Belle is in the living room. I’ll leave you two to talk.” With that, Belle could hear Rumple grab his suit jacket from the coat tree before he exited the house. She turned to the door so she could see her son come in and she could start her explanation.

 

Henry gave a quick smile to Rumple as they passed each other in the doorway. “Thanks Mr. Gold,” Henry said.

 

As soon as Henry turned into the house, he could see Belle waiting for him. He gulped, quickly averting his gaze to the floor. He knew he held a resemblance to his father, and after what Regina had said… he didn’t want to upset Belle with his features.

 

Henry headed into the other room and sat down on the couch next to Belle, placing both of his hands in his lap. He didn’t want to say anything as he wanted to simply listen to what she had to say. All while avoiding eye contact with him.

 

Belle took in a deep breath as she knew she would begin her story. “Well, I suppose we should start from the beginning….”

 

\--Enchanted Forest--

 

It was a bright, sunny summer afternoon. Belle had just met one of the most handsome men she had ever seen wandering around her village, and she was determined to see him again. According to her father, he had been a war hero. He had fought valiantly in the last battle they had had and he was one of the only survivors. He wore his uniform proudly and displayed his medals with just as much pride. Walking around the town, he would stop to chat and “flirt” with the older women, play around with some of the children, and tell his war story to all that would listen. Belle felt herself becoming enamored with him rather quickly.

 

Of course, Sir Maurice had this handsome man over as a thank you for serving the village with his bravery and to commemorate his medals of honor. It was at this dinner that Belle was formally introduced to him. His name was Gaston and it was decided that he would begin courting Belle in the hopes that the two of them would be married one day. Belle’s heart fluttered with excitement at the thought of spending time with this man that seemed so… perfect. She spent several nights wondering if he would have a love of books, wondering what they would talk about, and actually imagining conversations they could have about anything and everything. She definitely thought that he would be the knight in shining armor she had always dreamt of having.

 

On their first date, they were accompanied by two of Maurice’s personal guards. It wasn’t that Maurice didn’t trust Belle or Gaston, it was just a formality that he was meant to observe. He knew that Belle would be in good hands with Gaston, should any sort of danger befall them. Gaston had planned an entire afternoon for them—horseback riding into the meadow and a picnic lunch. The two of them chatted and laughed as if being together was the easiest thing in the world for them. As far as first dates were concerned, Belle thought that this one was perfect. She ended the day with a rather large smile on her face and her heart wanting to be with him again.

 

Her heart got exactly what it wanted in the weeks that followed. However, as Belle and Gaston seemed to be getting closer (and closer to marriage in Maurice’s mind), he decided that they no longer needed a chaperone to accompany them on their dates. It did make Belle just a tad bit nervous to be completely alone with a man, but she also thought that it was a good idea. She felt as though their conversations had to be limited to more of the light-hearted topics in case one of the guards overheard something. Now was their chance to _really_ get to know each other before Gaston would ask Maurice for Belle’s hand in marriage. Belle found herself wondering, once again, what kind of things they would discuss now that they could be alone.

 

On the day of the date, Gaston arrived at the doors just as usual. He had planned out their day and their horses were brought to them to go riding. Belle said goodbye to her father before Gaston helped her up onto her horse. The two of them rode down the path with smiles on their faces… just as if it were a normal day. However, as soon as they were through the gates, Gaston’s face changed completely. An almost darkness crossed his features and it startled Belle. Ever since she had known him, he had always been so happy and they talked and had similar interests. Belle swallowed nervously as she turned to him. “Is… is everything alright?”

 

When he turned to look at her, Belle could just feel her skin begin to crawl. “Just happy to finally be alone,” he said, even his voice sounding dark.

 

It confused Belle. All she could do was nod in agreement, even though it definitely made her nervous. What could he possibly have planned? Belle took a deep breath in… _“Positives…”_ she thought. _“See the good in it….”_

 

There weren’t any positives, though. As soon as they got to wherever Gaston had led them, things just weren’t… normal. Instead of being his usual gentle self, he was rough with her. This… this was not going to be the type of date Belle had in mind.

 

“Come here,” Gaston said in an even darker tone than he did earlier. It almost sounded as if his teeth were clenched. He grabbed her by one of her wrists, hard, and pulled her over to him. Had he done this in a sweet manner, it would’ve made Belle’s heart flutter. However, as he practically crushed the bones in her wrist and pulled her, Belle’s stomach dropped and she got really scared. There was nothing she could do at this point because they were completely alone. Even if she tried to scream, no one was around to hear her.

 

“Wh-what do you want?” Belle asked, trying to sound brave.

 

“You,” he whispered evilly. With that, he grabbed her too tightly around the waist and crushed her against him. He forcibly pressed his lips against her and kissed her violently. It was definitely something she was not expecting and she flailed her arms and tried to push him away to stop hurting her. Without breaking his hold on her, he broke away from her lips to stare at her, his expression stone cold. “Stop,” he commanded before continuing the kiss. Belle didn’t. She wanted nothing more than to get away from the man that was continuously hurting her. Gaston pulled away again and he shook his head. “Not going to listen to me, hmm?” he asked. That’s when Belle felt the blow to the side of her face from the back of his hand. “There will be more of that if you don’t start listening to me.”

 

\--Present--

 

Belle sighed softly and turned to Henry. “Things only got worse from there,” she said. “My father never believed me.”

 

\--Enchanted Forest--

 

“He hit me papa!” Belle told him after Gaston had left after their unaccompanied date.

 

“Now why would such a handsome, good mannered man like Gaston do something like that?” Maurice asked, clearly not believing Belle’s story.

 

“I don’t know,” she sighed, sounding defeated. “But that’s where this came from.” She pointed to the red mark across her cheek.

 

Maurice shook his head and waved his hand in dismissal. “Gaston explained that to me before he left. He told me you fell off your horse. Now go and get washed up for dinner.”

 

A single tear trickled down Belle’s reddened cheek as she turned to follow the command of her father. She had never once fallen off of her horse, and she definitely hadn’t started today. She knew she would have to think of a better plan to get her father to believe her.

 

\--Present--

 

Belle had never actually gotten her father to believe her about Gaston. “Soon after that date with Gaston, he asked my father for my hand in marriage,” Belle continued her story to Henry. “I had tried so many times to tell my father, or anyone else that would listen, what was really going on… but Gaston always had his own excuse. He claimed I fell off my horse, tripped getting out of the carriage, tripped over my skirts… all of which I had never done in my entire life.” Belle sighed as she felt a tear roll down her cheek. She quickly wiped it away with her index finger. “Everyone always chose to believe the man… not some silly princess, which was something Gaston liked to remind me of daily.”

 

She took a minute to collect herself, taking in a few deep breaths to combat the tears that were threatening to spill out. She was about to tell him about the night he came into existence. “Gaston and I had been engaged for about a month and the wedding was set to be in the next two weeks. Things always moved fast like that back then,” Belle smiled slightly to try and lighten the mood. “Gaston had come to visit and it went much like normal. He beat on me constantly while no one else was watching. I couldn’t even show emotion around him anymore. Or I had to be careful of it. Anyway, that night there was going to be a huge storm….”

 

\--Enchanted Forest--

 

“You cannot travel in this, Gaston,” Maurice said as he stood at the main doors of the castle. Rain was coming down in sheets… they couldn’t even see the front gates through it. “You will stay here for the night.” Maurice nodded and motioned for the servants to close the wooden doors.

 

“Sir, I couldn’t impose on you like that,” Gaston said, trying to act humble. Though his words sounded sincere, he shot Belle a look that made her breath hitch in her throat. She knew that this would be bad.

 

“You are to marry my daughter in a fortnight. You are welcome here any time you please.” Maurice placed one of his hands on Gaston’s shoulder and he led them back to the dining hall, Belle following silently in their shadow.

 

That night, the storm got even worse. When Belle looked out the windows of her chambers, she couldn’t even see the stables that were only a few yards away from her window. Belle sighed softly as she sat at her vanity and began to run a comb through her hair before bed. Gaston had actually been somewhat pleasant to her throughout the evening and had only grabbed her wrist a little too tightly as he said his good night to her. She rubbed the slightly reddened spot after placing the comb back on the vanity. A loud clap of thunder shook the walls of the castle and Belle jumped. She had always been a bit scared of storms since she was a little girl, and tonight was no different. After one of her servants warmed the sheets of her bed, Belle climbed in and covered herself with her favorite blankets. She could get through this storm just like every other one she had endured.

 

Just as Belle was on the brink of sleep, another clap of thunder sounded through the castle. It startled her back awake and she turned away from the window. As she did, she almost screamed as she saw a rather large figure standing in the doorway. “Scream and it’s the last thing you’ll ever do,” Gaston stated in his disgusting voice.

 

Belle slunk further into her blankets and tried to hide her scared look. “Wh-what do you want?” she asked, trying to sound brave.

 

“You.”

 

It was all he said before he was crushing her to her mattress with her arms pinned down above her head. She had to bite her lip to keep from screaming out, to the point where she was beginning to taste blood in her mouth. She knew that he could kill her more easily than she could do anything to him, though she continued to resist him as much as she could without the use of her arms. However, every time she tried resisting him, he would hit her. Eventually, she was hurting so much that she could resist no longer. As he took advantage of her, she did yell out in pain, but her yells were drowned by the continuous claps of thunder.

 

\--Present--

 

With a shaking hand, Belle wiped the tears from her eyes. She didn’t want to make Henry feel guilty for making her upset for telling the story. “And that’s… that’s why I have a very intense fear of thunderstorms. It’s also why I’m hesitant to allow people I don’t know to touch me.” She sighed softly. “But this is all to say… you are not him. You will _never_ be him, Henry.”

 

With her still shaking hand, she reached over and placed her index finger under his chin to lift it up so she could look into his eyes. She closed hers for a brief moment as she did. “You do have his eyes, and it will be difficult for me to look right into them for a while. But I also don’t want you to hide them from me, okay? He’s gone and you’re here and that’ll only help me get through it. You are the best thing Gaston ever gave me and I love you more than you probably realize.”

 

Belle took in a deep breath and let it out slowly as she sat back away from him. She turned her head briefly to look at the fire in the fireplace. It was a lot to explain and she knew it would be a lot for him to take in. Though it had been difficult to explain to him, she was glad that she did… and she had held it together quite well if she had to say so herself. She turned back to look at Henry. “Are you alright?” she asked softly, clearly concerned for his emotional state.


	7. Chapter 7

  _It was a rather rainy afternoon, and so it was a boring day for all around the town. No one really liked to go outdoors when it was pouring down as it was, unless it was necessary to go out and get something, or of course, grabbing a bite to eat at Granny’s diner. As for Henry, he was spending the day with Emma as it was a weekend, and luckily for him, Regina was busy for the day dealing with duties at the mayor’s office, or so she claimed. The Queen did not approve of Henry seeing Emma at all, and he could think of it as none other than jealousy… It could also be the fact that she just wanted another way to make his life miserable._

 

 

_The way the boy saw it, Regina did not have time for him and she did not care for him the way a loving mother should. (That’s what he assumed at the time, at least.) But Emma, she was already taking huge risks just to see him, and proving her dedication towards her son. She may have only been in Storybrooke for about a week, but the time they spent together in that short of time had been something Henry desired, needed it, in fact. He so desperately yearned for that motherly affection, that just these secret meet ups they had for a minimal amount of time meant the world to him._

_Currently, he was sitting in the passenger’s seat of Emma’s yellow vehicle, attentively reading a book while he waited for Emma to run into the diner and order them some cocoa’s to go. However, he was so lost within the world that this story had to offer, that he practically forgot his mother was even gone. It wasn’t until she had opened up the driver’s seat of the car and got into the seat did he snap out of the fantasy and snap his head up from the page, his gaze averting to the savior. Offering her a smile, he took the to-go cup from her hand and his head lowered for a nod, “Thanks! Don’t worry about the cash, I’ll pay you back. Sometimes, being the mayor’s son does have its advan—“ He explained, but was cut short by a chuckle from Emma, following a dismissive wave of her hand._

_“It’s fine, Kid, I got it.” She assured him, forming a warm smile of her own and glancing down at the open book on his lap, “What are you reading?” She asked curiously._

 

_Henry sipped from his cup gently from the steaming cocoa, lowering it again to place the cup into the holder before lifting the book from his lap slightly “It’s called ‘Her Handsome Hero’, are you familiar with it?” He asked, only for Emma to shake her head. She wasn’t one to read, she never did like it much._

 

_“Well, it’s one of my favorites. I think you might like it, actually. But anyway, I’ve read it about four times.” He said, a little modestly and lowered the book into his lap again so that his hues could wander over the text of the words._

 

_It was true, even though Henry was only ten years old, he quite enjoyed reading. That’s actually why Snow figured it was a good idea to lend him the story book, because she knew of his liking for books. Truly a wise boy, he was. It was a way to escape into his own world, when he felt like he was lonely at home in that mansion with the woman he felt didn’t truly love him. Emma seemed to have glanced away for a moment as if in thought, before releasing a soft hum. He sure didn’t pick up that habit from her, and she knew for a damn fact that Neal never had his head in books. “Gee, kid, you sure didn’t get that quality from me. Regina must have got you into that, huh?”_

 

_Henry peered up at her from the page, holding an expression as if she were insane. The only way the evil queen would ever read was if it meant she was learning a new spell of dark magic. “Yeah, right.” He answered in a sarcastic tone, “She never got me into it… I guess I just, picked up the interest on my own.” The boy concluded before forming another smile on the edge of his lips, closing the book afterwards as he believed the topic was over._

 

_The blonde also slowly nodded, sipping from her own to-go cup. She was proud to have such an intelligent boy who was into books and all, but it still proved just how different they also were. She found it a little hard to believe that he could have developed that hobby on his own when his parents were Bonnie/Clyde delinquents in the past. It definitely came from someone else, somehow._

 

_\---_

 

 

_"Are you alright?"_

 

Belle seemed to be able to read through anything that bothered him so far and uncover the issue, which only further proved of her motherly connection to him. It wasn't often Emma or Regina were ever able to do so that quickly. It took a lot of questioning before they would finally guess, or demand an answer. A lot of the times he felt as though he's had to hide or cover up things with them, but with Belle... Well, he really did feel as though he could come to her with anything as she told him to.

 

Hearing that the only feature he inherited from his father, or rather, the man that forcefully impregnated his mother were his eyes, there was slight relief that came over him, though it still felt shameful to even contain so much as that. Those alone tell a lot about a person, and it's one of the more notable features on an individual. Just knowing that it was from him, well, it disgusted him. He didn't even want to look at himself, let alone her having to do it. 

 

 

He sat there silently after she explained everything, every detail she wished to share with him. She told him about how Gaston seemed like such a gentleman at first when they were courting, and then came the first date on their own... Which is when the signs began. But learning that she was alone in it all, that not even her own father believed her, his blood began to boil. How could he be so ignorant towards his daughters pleading and cries for help? Henry's jaw clenched, his thumbs twitching as they roughly brushed over his palms. Gaston had 'taken' her, his vision once again became blurry as tears fell from eyes, his lips were trembling, even. But he took breaths every so few seconds to contain himself from making any sounds.

 

Occasionally, Regina would tell Henry stories about how close her and her father were, how dedicated and committed he was to her happiness. Despite the fact of her going down the path of evil, he still remained by her side and forgave all her wrong doings. He would have definitely believed her if she were to go to him with something like that, because a father should always believe his daughter. His duty is to protect her. Wasn't Belle's father willing to do the same? Protect her from anything? If he was not willing to let her go with the Dark One, surely he cared about her safety. But then why would he allow her to suffer through so much?

 

Being drawn from this thoughts to answer her question, he released a shaken breath and shrugged his shoulders, "Honestly? I'm hurt." He admitted, glancing towards the fireplace for a moment, before his eyes returned to her. Belle knew that he had to be hurt. Her story was not an easy one to listen to and take in all at once. She was suddenly reminded of the time that she had completely opened up to Rumple about what happened and how he had reacted.

 

As the Dark One, Rumple had a much different reaction to it. After he had asked her why she so easily came with him as his price, she had explained it all to him. In that moment he had wanted to magically transport himself back to her village to kill Gaston on the spot. Belle hadn’t let him though…. For as much damage as he had done, she did not want him dead.

 

From the edge of his view, Henry could see her wiping her own tears, which was understandable. It's like re-living the pain. It didn't feel any better from when Regina told him, because now there were images of that frightening experience in his head now that he heard the specifics. 'Poor Belle' were the words that ran through his head, she had suffered so long, just to finally be raped and impregnated, which would be a constant reminder of what was done to her. Who was that reminder? Oh yes, it was him. He really didn't want to be there right now after she had just told him everything, for now she was truly hurting after remembering it all and then here he was, sitting there with the mans eyes.

 

 

But somehow, he felt more at ease to know the actual story and that there were no more secrets behind it. He knew just as much as Rumple did and now all he could do was learn to accept it. Perhaps not that, but learn to live with it.  

 

The sudden touch of her index finger under his chin forcing him to face her came without a struggle, looking into her eyes before she had shut her own for a brief moment, as he had expected. Though, upon the reminder that she informed him it was going to be hard to look at them for a time, he shut his eyes briefly, as well. "I'll be fine, for the most part. I'm not a kid anymore, I'll learn to live with it... That's all I can really do, right? Besides, I have you. I know you won't let me forget that I'm meant to be your son." With that, a sincere smile had formed across his lips, opening his eyes again to look at her. 

 

He could feel the love she held for him radiating from her, and it was clear that her claims of love for him were no lie. She was a loving mother - she was meant to be one. And in that moment, it seemed that he was already growing mutual feelings for her, too. As for respect, well, she's always had that and even more so now. 

  

“We’ve all learned to live with it,” Belle told him. “It’s fresh now… but it’ll get easier with time. That’s what happened with me.” She smiled over at him in return, a soft and loving look crossing her features. “And in all honesty, I wouldn’t change it. If that wouldn’t have happened, I wouldn’t have you.” 

 

Sitting silently for a moment, something sparked in the boy then, and then, suddenly, he leaned forward to rest his head on her shoulder, wrapping both of his arms around his mother's waist, allowing his eyes to shut once more. He was aware that they probably both needed comforting right now, especially her. It was also then that their new relationship as mother and son had officially begun. "Nothing's going to happen to you like that ever again, not while I'm around, _that_ I can promise." 

 

Tears immediately sprang to her eyes and she wrapped her arms around his shoulders and rested her head on top of his. This brief moment of time told her that everything was going to be okay. Things may have been rocky right now between the two of them and everyone else in the town, but for this one little moment… they were mother and son. Finally. Belle closed her eyes as she soaked in the moment with him and tried to hold in her sobs. They weren’t meant to be tears of sadness, but of a completely different emotion. She thought that this probably would have been her reaction to holding him in her arms for the first time when he was a baby. Though she had missed out on all of his firsts and the other things a mother should have been a part of… she was determined to make the rest of their lives be just as she had imagined all those years ago.

 

“It’s not you that needs to protect me… but I am the one that should protect you.” She had plans… so many plans. The two of them would have lived with Rumple in the Dark Castle. She wasn’t sure what she would have had him call Rumple at the time, as that discussion never actually happened. However, she did imagine that Rumple would have spoiled the child rotten with all of the things he could magically produce with his magic. Belle would have kept him grounded though, just as she was even though she had also grown up as a princess. She would have shared with him her love of books and knowledge, her ability to ride horses, and hopefully the ability to see the good in others. She had always imagined them to be more like best friends… being able to talk about anything with each other and for him to be able to come to her about anything; that the two of them would be able to snuggle up with each other and a good book and spend hours reading together. It would have been the perfect mother-son relationship

 

“I should have fought harder for you…” she added in a whisper. Belle was still determined to have that relationship with her boy now. In one simple hug, all of those plans came flooding back to her and it made her determination to have that perfect relationship grow even stronger. She would stop at nothing to have it, no matter how much Regina tried to stop it. Belle would never stop fighting.

 

“I know. I just wish I had of known it was you when I went searching for my real mother.” Henry stated softly. Belle wasn’t yet around when he had found Emma, but he would have much rather waited for her to arrive, rather than being led to believe he had found her already.  It wasn’t fair for him, Emma or Belle. At these words, she quickly pressed a kiss to the side of his head and forced another smile through her tears. 

 

Though she had wished the exact same thing, it did make her feel somewhat special that he would have rather met her first. Withdrawing slowly from their embrace, she gently ran her hand over his hair, smoothing it to the side slightly, “Ever since everyone woke up from Regina’s curse, I’ve been searching for you,” she told him. She wasn’t sure how much he really knew about what had happened with his adoptive mother’s unhappy endings curse, but she did figure that she should at least tell him why it had been so difficult for them to be together again.

 

“As for Gaston… He is gone,” Belle continued. “I was told that he didn’t make it over with the curse.” She sighed softly and shook her head. “I finally got the complete truth out of Rumple and he…” she paused and couldn’t help but giggle ever so slightly. “Rumple turned him into a rose, which he actually gave to me. I always wondered why that thing never wilted while I was in the castle.” She shook her head. “But he is gone now and there is nothing to worry about.”

 

 

Now that the moment was beginning to lighten up and their tears were drying upon their cheeks, Henry found himself feeling content, which was good considering he was a mess all day. But her embrace, along with her positive words had soothed most of his negative emotions. Of course, it would take him some time to get over the fact that he was the product of something so horrible, not to mention he was lied to, but something assured him that the feeling would pass quickly as long as he was around her, or rather - it would just become easier to live with.

 

Hearing what Rumple had made of the man that was his father, he laughed softly along with Belle. Knowing that he ended up as a rose only to be given to his mother as a gift from Rumple was oddly satisfying. He deserved it. However, he couldn’t help but wonder what ended up happening to that rose, was it ever disposed of? Did it finally wither away? “What…Did you end up doing with the rose?” He asked in curiosity, even though he was gone and it would be nearly impossible for him to end up here, he still couldn’t help but wonder.

 

Belle couldn’t help but find amusement at Henry’s curiosity about Gaston as a rose, wearing glee all over her face as she proceeded with the tale. “Well, I really only know Rumple’s side of the story. One afternoon there was a knock on the Dark Castle door. Rumple had gone to answer it, and when he came back he said that it had been an old beggar woman selling roses. However, it had really been Gaston attempting to fight with the Dark One and take me back to our village. Rumple had turned him into a rose and given it to me,” Belle snickered at the memory. That had been in the beginning stages of their relationship. “I took the rose, cut off the bottom of the stem a bit, and put it in a vase. It never wilted or lost a single petal from the day Rumple had given it to me until the day I was forced to leave the castle. From there, I am unsure what Rumple did with it, but he assured me that no plants from the Enchanted Forest got to Storybrooke.”

 

Despite those words, he still heard concern in her tone, just as it flickered in her blue hues. “Hey now, you don’t need to worry about him showing up. Consider Rumple and I your knights.” The boy chuckled softly, staring up at the clock to see that it was well around dinner time. He knew that Regina was probably freaking out, but he didn’t care about that right now. Normally he wouldn’t want to be late and worry her but… He felt somewhat disconnected from her after today. 

 

Belle's face would not stop growing with a smile. Her cheeks were aching at this point from the reaction her features would automatically make at the younger's words to her. She was just so happy, so relieved that he was finally more comfortable with talking to her. She gave him some closure behind who he is. "I'm the parent, I'll be the Knight." 

 

Giving a playful frown, Henry would fold his arms over his chest, "Can a woman even be a Knight? That's a neat concept!" 

 

Belle couldn’t help but laugh at Henry’s sudden perkiness. A few tears did fall from her eyes, but this time they were actually tears of happiness. Even in this difficult time, they would be able to laugh and hopefully start getting to know each other. Belle placed a hand on his shoulder and nodded in agreement. Noticing her son's glance at the clock, she too turned to take a look only to discover that it was later than she thought. “Why don’t you stay for dinner?” she suggested. “I’ll make you anything you want. When I was with Rumple in his castle, I discovered that I actually had a pretty good talent for cooking.” She winked as she nudged him lightly. “Besides, then we can start to get to know each other a little more. You can ask me anything you want, I’m an open book to you.” She hoped beyond hope that he would stay with them for dinner, and hopefully not feel awkward if Rumple joined them. If he did… Belle had absolutely no problem with banishing him to his shop for the night.

 

Knowing that doing something as simple as making him dinner would make her feel like she was doing something as a mother, he nodded with a shrug of his shoulders. “Sure, I’ll have anything! Just don’t make a huge meal, okay?” He said this, thinking that she may go overboard out of excitement for having him with her. “By the way, Gra—Er, Rumple can join us if you want. I hope he doesn’t feel like he can’t be here because of me.” He said, his smile somewhat fading and reaching up to hold the hand that was placed on his shoulder. He knew that Rumple was just as aware that they weren’t related as they had originally thought, and he hoped it wasn’t weird or awkward for him now. 

 

With his agreement to stay for dinner, Belle’s eyes lit up and she practically jumped off of the couch. She extended her hand to him, which he would reach up to take hold of, and she pulled him up off the couch as well. “Of course I’m going to make a big meal! What’s your favorite?” she asked as she led him towards the kitchen, gesturing her hands frantically to follow. Rumple kept the house fully stocked with, well, everything, since he really liked to eat and Belle really liked to cook. “Besides, Rumple always loves it when I cook a big meal. That man can really eat,” she told him with a quick wink.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, this update is REALLY late, I know. I'm sorry. This story isn't abandoned though. Also, I know this chapter was a bit slow but this topic was necessary of getting out of the way for these two in order for their relationship to progress.


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